Saints don't trade down, but land a star in Dane Brugler mock draft

Mickey Loomis hasn't traded down in almost two decades of running the New Orleans Saints' draft-day war room, but could he change his approach in 2026? The big hope has to be another team coveting one of the quarterback prospects enough to make Loomis an offer he can't refuse.

But that didn't happen in this mock draft from Dane Brugler for the Athletic. With the Saints picking at third overall, each of teams in front of them traded down as calls came in for quarterbacks Dante Moore and Fernando Mendoza. But that was it. There wasn't a third quarterback available he sees going top-three. That left the Saints picking the top player on Brugler's board, and the best defender in the class: Ohio State Buckeyes outside linebacker Arvell Reese.

Here's why Brugler is so high on him:

The clear No. 1 player on my updated top 50, Reese can be whatever a defense needs him to be in the front seven. (OK, maybe not a nose tackle). He can play off the ball, spy, drop and cover, or mirror runs all the way to the sideline. As an edge rusher, Reese has burst, flexibility and speed, along with the violence in his hands to dispose of blocks on his way to the quarterback.

You will hear plenty of Micah Parsons comparisons for Reese throughout the process.

Reese would be an outstanding pickup. He's got NFL size at 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds, with 61 combined tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, and two passes defensed to his credit during this breakout year. He's an ideal fit for Brandon Staley's defense as a playmaker opposite Chase Young. Whether or not Cameron Jordan returns last year, it's easy to imagine Reese rotating into games with Young and Carl Granderson. That's the role Chris Rumph II has had since Young entered the lineup back in Week 6:

• Chase Young: 288 snaps in 7 games (41.1 per game)

• Carl Granderson: 287 snaps in 7 games (41 per game)

• Cameron Jordan: 186 snaps in 7 games (26.6 per game)

• Chris Rumph II: 127 snaps in 7 games (18.1 per game)

Obviously the third overall pick would be playing more snaps than Rumph. Probably more than Jordan, too. It would be fascinating to see how Staley would use Reese's talents given his history with guys like Khalil Mack and Leonard Floyd.

But what's more interesting is which players might be the best available in Round 2. Brugler also shared his top 50 prospect rankings early in November, and a couple of highly-rated names will be waiting when the Saints go back on the clock at No. 36. In this scenario, that includes Oregon defensive tackle A'Mauri Washington (Brugler's No. 30 prospect), Missouri edge rusher Zion Young (No. 32), Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard (No. 33), and Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood (No. 34). Of those options, Bernard may be the best fit for New Orleans. That Brugler keyed in on him as a fit for the Atlanta Falcons in Round 2 would only make that pick better.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Dane Brugler mock draft: Saints can't trade down, pick Arvell Reese